How many went....??
Attendees at IVU World Vegetarian Congresses since 1908

1908 Dresden : about 20 visitors, plus a few more from Dresden.

1909 Manchester: no numbers but seems to have been a few more,
they met in a restaurant so obviously not huge.

1910 Brussels : no numbers but seems to have been slightly more
again.

1913 The Hague : "Over a hundred assembled" for the
opening reception

1916 Paris - cancelled due war

1923 Stockholm : "over thirty foreign delegates" plus
Swedish guests.

1926 London : no numbers during the week but on two days lunch
was in local restaurants suggesting modest numbers, but the Saturday evening
social had "about 150".

1929 Czech Rep.: "considerably more than five hundred people
listened to some of the principal speeches"

1932 Berlin : "reception organised by the Berlin Vegetarian
Society was attended by about four hundred people . . the number of visitors
from outside Germany being about two hundred";

1935 Denmark (moved at short notice from Zurich) : "200 visitors
in residence at the School" ; "evening festival over 200 Congress
members and guests" ; "one hundred were originally expected,
. . . the booking gradually grew to two hundred"

1938 Norway (moved at short notice from Bulgaria) : "some
ninety delegates and visitors" . Travel around Europe was getting
very difficult by this time.

1955 Paris, France : "Over a hundred delegates stayed in
the University and surrounding hostels," presumably plus more locals
from Paris.

1957 India : no numbers, but: "The inauguration in Bombay
was held in a colourful flat-roofed durbar tent - at least two acres in
extent - with seating accommodation for 5,000, and a vast food exhibition
with products and speciality dishes from all over India." The report
implies large numbers in all four cities. A report from the next Congress
also mentioned 5,000 in India.

1960 Hamburg : "In the evening a Festival Banquet was held
at the Maschseegaststatten when about 350 enjoyed the magnificent views
over the lake "

1963 Barcelona : no numbers

1965 England : "Among the 350 people taking part . . . -
there had been about 600 applications to attend the Congress and it was
with great regret that so many had to be refused through lack of space
- we had committed ourselves some two years before to this, the largest
conference centre we could find, thinking that we were taking a great
risk in guaranteeing 200 delegates, an estimate based on previous congresses.

1967 India : "One of the outstanding events of the Congress
was the Vegetarian Youth Session which was attended by more than 2,000
students." ; "The Deputy Prime Minister of India opened the
Bombay Sessions at the Cricket Club of India and the occasion was attended
by more than 3,000 people." ; "A religious gathering of 2,000
people was held at Chowpatty Beach".

1969 Israel : we have a verbal report that 'only about 90 people
attended' probably due to the political situation in Israel at the time.
The Congress was almost cancelled completely.

1971 The Netherlands : "There were 290 delegates from 26
countries"

1973 Sweden : no numbers, but seems to have been well attended.

1975 USA : "1500 vegetarians from across the world gathered
at the University of Maine" ; "1,400 (plus) participants meeting
for simultaneous lectures and events in up to 26 halls by over 100 speakers
giving 120 items, events, etc."

1977 India : "Over the next 17 days Congress participants
attended further sessions in Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi, Calcutta, Madras,
Bangalore and Bombay in halls holding anything up to 1500 people from
15 countries or more."

1979 England : " 400 plus participants from some 20 nationalities"

1982 Germany : "Six hundred or so vegetarians from over 20
societies"

1984 USA : "350/400 people"

1986 Yugoslavia : "In all over 200 people attended."

1988 Mexico : cancelled for administrative reasons

1990 Israel : no numbers, but verbal reports suggest it was relatively
small.

1993 India : no reports available

1994 Holland : very limited reports, no numbers

1996 USA : "More than 800 participants from 21 countries"
- but this was moved from Sydney, Australia at short notice to be combined
with the NAVS Summerfest. Many of the attendees were already booked NAVS.

2000 Toronto : "more than 500 attendees from 20 different
countries." No details of how many of the 500 were day visitors from
Toronto. Another report says "More than 300 participants from 20
nations" ; another referred to "a thousand vegetarians".

2004 Brazil : "700 subscribers from 35 different countries
and 2000 all together  about 1000 came to the Veg Fashion Show 
including the dean of University and about 300 come to the Cruelty Free
Fair  both of witch were free of charge."